Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While Illya and co had been taking over the Einzbern Castle, Vahn had been spending more than two hours seated between Rin and Luvia, seated across from the latter's family as they discussed matters going forward. In the near future, the Edelfelt family would be bearing heavy political and financial burdens so they needed at least a basic understanding of what Vahn intended. With him being the most wanted man in the Mage's Association, combined with the fact the world now had a deadline, meant they needed to seriously consider how best to take advantage of the chaos. Olivia had even suggested having Vahn present himself to the Mage's Association, taking an open stance with the backing of several powerful Magus families and trying to establish himself as a force working to prevent the world's destruction.

Unfortunately, so long as the Mage's Association, especially those in the upper echelons, continued to treat people as nothing more than tools, Vahn had no interest working with them. Though he was the type that believed people could change, he would never compromise with anyone who was still actively engaged in objectively atrocious behavior. Even now, instead of truly working together, the forces within the Mage's Association were primarily worried about their own benefits, not unifying in order to fight against the lingering threat of Angra Mainyu. This included 'righteous' families like the Edelfelts, yes, but they were inarguably better than most of the Aristocratic families associated with the Clock Tower.

Though it would undoubtedly cause him a lot of issues in the future, making the fight against Angra Mainyu even more difficult, Vahn was resolute in his decision. The Mage's Association would oppose his attempts to disseminate the existence of Magic to the public while proactively taking measures to prevent his Empire's success, giving Vahn no reason to pander to them in the present. He wasn't the type of person that would take advantage of people when it was convenient for him and, once everything had been resolved, immediately turn his back on them. It was impossible for him to work alongside a group of people that were doing terrible things, ignoring the 'truth' for nearly ten years just because it would make his fight against Angra Mainyu easier. He would spend years wasting his time butting heads against the other Aristocratic families, likely engaging in open hostilities when he learned the truth of how they kept their power...

After making his case in a rather resolute fashion, Luvia, June, and Olivia gave appreciative nods in response to Vahn's words, the younger of the three giving his arm a happy squeeze. Following this, however, Olivia immediately asked, "You aren't all that adept at politics, are you? You must have left this type of thing to your Ministers or dealt with dissension with overwhelming force...' This caused Vahn to squint his eyes slightly, earning a chuckle from Olivia as she waved her hand dismissively and said, "Relax, I'm not accusing you of being a tyrant. I'm just worried that your actions will only cause a series of major conflicts that will eventually break out into actual war..."

Instead of showing any fear or hesitation at the thought of war breaking out, Olivia gave an almost fervent smile as she added, "This is something that is bound to happen if you intend to establish your Empire, so I'm of the opinion it would be better for you to establish yourself in the existing community, building up alliances and changing things from within. Leaving other people to fight your political battles will heavily influence the way other people see you in the future. Though you might be able to sway a lot of people to your side if you actually manage to take down Angra Mainyu, this will only unify the powers that feel threatened by your existence."

At this point in her dialogue, Olivia inclined her head towards Luvia before explaining, "If you play the 'political game', as you call it, you will have a lot more leverage in dealing with them since you would have nearly a decade's worth of time to sway others to your side. By exposing yourself to the scrutiny of the Mage's Association, even as someone that directly contends against their ideals, you will undoubtedly cause a lot of conflicts. However, dealing with these individual incidents and then spinning the information will gradually increase the support you have from other families. If you choose your battles intelligently, you may even be able to win over large factions if you are able to prove the existence of 'True Magic' and convince them there is a better way forward than adhering to the existing system."

Following up with what her Grandmother said, Luvia nodded her head, smiling as she added, "I will not deny that it would be more 'convenient' if a global war were to break out, as rebuilding is always easier than changing the existing system, but I do not believe you are the kind of person who would resort to such extreme methods, Vahn. Would you really be able to just sit on your island as the rest of the world tore itself apart, just because it would be easier for you down the line? Though I will do my own duty and support you, it will be impossible to avoid having you made out to be something akin to a Demon King if you only appear to cause destruction and never work to build your image within the Magus community..."

Hearing the combined words of Olivia and Luvia, Vahn's expression morphed into a contemplative look as, even in the Record of Danmachi, most of these types of things had been handled by Loki and people far more capable than he was. At the same time, Vahn knew his own power, especially his [Will of the Emperor], was tied directly to the 'beliefs' people placed in him. If he was able to build up his reputation and forge alliances with other powerful families, his personal strength would exponentially increase. It would also make the transition from the current system to a new system much easier as, in the modern era, most governments fell under the influence of one of the three major powers. If he was able to cement himself at the top of the existing pyramid, he could incite change with nothing but his words, having tens, if not hundreds of thousands, moving at his behest.

While he was thinking, Olivia interrupted, showing a teasing smile on her face as she commented, "You don't have to worry all that much, Vahn. Most of the political stuff can be handled by other people. The most important thing is that you make your stance known and become the figurehead for your own faction. Not everyone is suited to 'playing the game', but that doesn't mean you can't become a powerful piece on the board. Hiding in the shadows will only exacerbate things and, though you may not be complicit in allowing the travesties to continue, you also would have done nothing to prevent them. As the countdown towards Angra Mainyu's arrival approaches zero, the chances of terrible things occurring within the Association increase exponentially..."

At this point, though she had been rather quiet during the discussions, Rin released a frustrated sigh as she complained, "This is why I hate the Mage's Association. You would ask Vahn to swim with the sharks, wasting time he could be spending on his own training, research, or with his family! Damnit!" Though she knew the points made by Luvia and Olivia struck at the heart of the matter, it made Rin feel an extreme amount of frustration. Part of her would rather see the Clock Tower, and the Mage's Association as a whole, destroy itself in the battle against Angra Mainyu. With the way things were going, it would be Vahn and his allies that bore the brunt of things, leaving their backs exposed to people who would readily place a dagger there without a thought.

With Rin's outburst ringing in his ear, Vahn gave a wry smile as he habitually reached out his hand and rubbed the top of her head. At the same time, he glanced toward Olivia and asked, "If I had an absolute amount of power, how would that change things...?" This question caused Olivia to raise her brows before a somewhat excited smile spread across her lips as she commented, "It depends on how you intend to use it. Many of the most powerful families have Trump Cards of their own, some strong enough to even wipe countries off the map. These are primarily used as a deterrent so, unless you have a kind of power that can be proactively used, simply having a strong weapon wouldn't be much of an advantage." As her own family had several weapons that could make even powerful nuclear weapons seem like firecrackers, Olivia was curious about what Vahn was referring to when he mentioned 'absolute power'. She assumed he was talking about Alaya but, based on how Vahn had been acting thus far, that didn't seem to be the case.

After crossing his arms and considering whether or not it was a good idea to reveal his hand, Vahn ultimately gave a small nod before asking, "Are you familiar with the existence of Types?" As this question only resulted in Olivia blinking in confusion, Vahn took a deep breath before explaining, "The beings known as 'Types' are the Ultimate Ones from the respective heavenly bodies. Though there are some inert worlds, every planet and star within the Universe is a living entity, governed by a set of Laws fundamentally different from those of Gaia. They are beings that even dwarf the Gods in power as, other than the Counter Forces themselves, there is little that can even reliably damage them, much less kill them."

Hearing Vahn's explanation, Olivia furrowed her brows, asking, "Did you learn this information from Alaya...?" In response to this, Vahn just stared back at Olivia, looking directly into her golden-brown eyes as he answered, "I am designated as Type Omega, the Ultimate One of a foreign world that is governed by a completely different set of Laws. Though I'm currently much weaker than most Gods, much less Types, I have a unique ability that completely invalidates this..." Then, as the tension in the room began to gradually increase, Vahn added, "I have authority over all other Types..." These words fell like a bomb within the room, causing everyone present to stare blankly back at Vahn, trying and failing to imagine the kind of power such an ability granted a person.

While they had yet to recover, Vahn went on to explain, "After ensuring that Rin, Sakura, and Gray were safe, I was intending to visit Type: Mercury and have them join my cause. The threat of Angra Mainyu may not even necessitate the assistance of such a powerful entity but I would rather take Mercury under my umbrella than leave it as an unknown factor. Under normal circ.u.mstances, it is inconceivable to destroy the manifestation of 'All the World's Evils', so the only option is to rely on an entirely different set of 'logic' from the start. My own power may be enough to overcome the threat of Angra Mainyu, but I'm not going to gamble the fate of the world..."

Though he hadn't even considered the thought of relying on the other Types until just recently, Vahn now considered their existence as 'necessary' in the future he intended to build. As one of his goals was to prevent the decay and death of Gaia several thousand years in the future, Vahn was going to repurpose the Types in his attempts to test the limits of the Root's compulsion. He even wanted to try and change the nature of Gaia, making it so that she was not constantly thinking about killing off humanity. Since there were a functionally infinite number of ways in which he could extend her life and prevent humanity's wanton destruction, Vahn intended to do his best to establish contact with her in the future...

After processing what Vahn had said, Olivia managed to regain her composure as she remarked, "I will not deny that having such a powerful ally would make some things easier. If possible, however, I would suggest you keep the existence of the Types a secret for as long as possible. With the current state of the world, it would be impossible to avoid being labeled as a 'threat' if it was known you had such a powerful existence acting at your behest. Though some would be able to accept the existence of Alaya, as she represents 'Humanity's Will to Survive', there are very few who would accept such an alien existence..." Though she was interested in how powerful a Type actually was, Olivia's intuition told her that even talking about them was dangerous.

As Vahn had never actually intended to reveal the existence of Type: Mercury to the public, at least until the emergence of Angra Mainyu, he gave a curt nod in response to Olivia's cautious remark. Just by seeing her reaction, as one of the top ten families within the Mage's Association, Vahn could already imagine how others would react. Surprisingly, however, none of them seemed put off by the fact that he was also a Type. However, as they had known he was from another world from the start, it was likely easy for them to rationalize that he was fundamentally different from other existences. Luvia hadn't even released his arm and, other than a startled flinch, she continued to press her right b.r.e.a.s.t against him without showing any discernible discomfort.

---

Once things had calmed down a bit, the conversation turned back towards Vahn's involvement in politics and trying to build a base within the existing power structure of the Mage's Association. He actually didn't need to 'join' the Association itself, just reveal himself to them and engage with the other powers in an open and above-board manner. Unless they had irrefutable proof that he was some kind of threat, it would be impossible for them to take any decisive action against Vahn when he already had the backing of several established families. By providing resources and sharing a bit of his knowledge with the Clock Tower, he could effectively cripple any actions they wanted to take against him.

Though the Aristocratic faction would undoubtedly throw a fit, this was nothing new and, in the aftermath of recent events, public opinion was largely against them. If Vahn presented himself as someone proactively trying to prevent the world's destruction, any action they took to pressure him would only exacerbate their current situation. As a result, it was far more likely for them to take action behind the scenes, their 'preferred' means as it allowed them to act viciously while also saving face. The biggest 'threat' to Vahn right now was that he was an unknown element and, so long as he was willing to make himself known within the established spheres of power, most Magi would begin to see him as a potential ally, not an inherent enemy.

So long as Vahn was able to come to an accord with the Association Director, even families like the Barthomeloi, Trambelio, and Valualeta families would be unable to take action in the public. After that, it was just a matter of trying to win over the other twenty-two Aristocratic families while picking his allies as intelligently as possible. With the Edelfelt and Animusphere families already on his side, Vahn already had a powerful head start which, if taken advantage of during the current chaos, would cement his position within the Mage's Association, even as an outsider. It also wouldn't take much to bring Lord El-Melloi II into their fold as, after the Trial, the Archisorte family was already considered to be their collaborator by proxy.

Luvia was very aware of Reines' personality so she knew the latter would immediately agree to an alliance as, for the last twenty years, she had been trying to regain control over the Archibald family once again. Since it was almost guaranteed that Vahn would butt heads with the Barthomeloi family in the near future, she would want to be there to pick up the pieces of the Archibald family since, after the inner turmoil that split the family apart, they had become just another one of Barthomeloi Lorelei's pets. The fact that one of the ten most powerful families was now nothing more than a branch family of the Barthomelois had always left a bad taste in Reines' mouth so, even if for no other reason than she could secure the Edelfelts as an ally, she would agree to their alliance.

---

The longer Vahn listened to Luvia and Olivia, the more it seemed like he 'needed' to make himself public, even if it would be extremely troublesome. Though it would significantly reduce his 'free time', it would also break him away from the cyclic lifestyle he had been cultivating over the last six months. At the same time, he could increase his influence and gather a lot of followers, increasing his power exponentially while also taking a stance alongside Luvia. If he continued with his previous plan, the situation of the Edelfelts would become increasingly precarious and, depending on how the Mage's Association decided to treat him, they could even become the enemy of every other family associated with the Clock Tower.

Though their main seat of power was in Finland, not London, most of Luvia's efforts over the last decade had been centralized around matters associated with the Clock Tower. She had proactively thrown herself into the political circles of the other Aristocratic families from the moment she was made into the Head of the Edelfelt family. Even against people several times her age, Luvia never lowered her head and, over the course of the last ten years, had even publically embarrassed several would-be suitors. As most families saw her as a 'fat cow' that could drastically increase the wealth and power of their own family, Luvia didn't even humor most marriage proposals.

Since the Head of one of the ten most powerful Magus families obviously couldn't marry into another house, it was ridiculous that some even made an effort to become her suitor from the start. She also had the requirement that her partner was able to defeat her in single combat, something only Magi much older than her could manage. As this automatically removed them from contention, Luvia had enjoyed using the excuse of 'being offended' to beat several arrogant young men to a bloody pulp before having them dragged back to their families. Some even had the gall to remark about her age, as if twenty-seven years old was somehow 'late' to decide who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. As Magi could easily live over a hundred years without having to worry too much about adverse health issues, she could only treat these types as the idiots they were...

By announcing her engagement to Vahn, Luvia could avoid having other suitors pester her while, at the same time, he would automatically be considered an 'extension' of their family, even though she was the one marrying into his. In this manner, they could make a united front and, as the Edelfelt family was already known for picking fights without lowering their heads to others, any trouble he caused would just be considered 'normal' from the perspective of most Magi. This would also allow her family to avoid the potential calamity of being named as an enemy of the Mage's Association, at least for no other reason that simply cooperating with Vahn behind the scenes.

With the benefits of 'proactive' action far outweighing the troubles he would face in trying to do everything without drawing attention, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself agreeing with Luvia and Olivia on various points. This was especially the case when they discussed their assets and the involvement of organizations like Chaldea. By 'hiding' from the world, it wouldn't be that difficult for the powers that be to manipulate things to make it appear as if he was an enemy that needed to be dealt with. This would drag down all the families and allies associated with him, leading to a large-scale conflict wholly as a result of him refusing to take a public stance.

The only way to avoid such an outcome was to outright refuse to ally with 'any' family, something that was already impossible as it would only make his future plans infinitely more difficult. Unless he intended to essentially wage war on the three powers after Angra Mainyu was dealt with, something Vahn promised Artoria he would do his best to avoid, the only route forward was to walk under the light, exposing himself directly to his enemies. Thus, after nearly four hours of discussion, Vahn took a deep breath before firmly nodding his head and saying, "I'll do it. I won't leave my allies to fight my battles for me. I intend to establish my own faction but, before that, I will meet with the Director of the Mage's Association and make my stance clear. If they decide to antagonize me after that-"

Before Vahn could say anything further, Luvia squeezed his arm between her firm and full b.r.e.a.s.ts, adding, "Then we'll fight them together! The Edelfelt family isn't afraid to fight against corruption to protect its own~!" Though this earned a profound sigh from Rin, she wasn't all that surprised by Vahn's decision as, from the start, he had always been the type to worry about others. It was one of the things she liked the most about him, knowing full well it would cause her endless frustrations in the future. As for the rest of the Edelfelt family, they seemed rather excited at the prospect of a fight, their eyes glimmering with a battle-hungry light that could even give Kenshin a run for her money...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'No compromises...!','Types are scary','Okay, maybe a little compromise...')

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